Ma Bête Noire
by Kitsune Heart
Summary: "My Black Beast." The thing which you hate the most. For Butler, a weakness: something a bodyguard should not have. For Minerva, a mistake: something geniuses do not make. Of course, every rule has its exception.


**A SELECTION from the latter half of this fanfiction follows the author's note. The original chapters have been removed and this abbreviated chapter posted in order to alert all of my followers of the migration of my writing. This second chapter itself will be removed in one month's time.**

**If you wish to read the FULL fanfiction, you can find it at the author's Archive of Our Own account, linked on her profile.**

I have made the decision to cut off my fanfiction from this site due to ideological differences with site management. I believe that fan-works should be free, which means not only free monetarily, but also free of restrictions such as this site's ban on chat-fics (virtually ruining the Homestuck fandom), second-person point of view stores (it's...a POV...really), and, of course, adult materials, among other things.

I understand that this may upset some readers, but I ask that you respect my decision about how to manage my creative works. They still exist, un-altered, on another site.

I highly recommend you give AO3 a try. Joining the Archive of Own is a simple process, though it may take a few days to go through the waiting list. However, AO3 was created by fans, is FUNDED by fans (meaning it is advertisement-free), and does not restrict anything unless for valid copyright issues. It also has a robust tagging and search system, as well as a series manager, which will reduce the confusion regarding many of my works. If you are an author and would like an invitation, please message me through PM to see if I have any available.

Thank you for all your support as I entered into the world of fan-works. If you're interested in more of my fan-works, including audio productions, cosplay, and videos, please check my Tumblr, also linked on my profile.

Fan-girling with you all,

Kit

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The girl gave a quick, soft curse in French, and glared at him with such ferocity that Butler took a single step away from her side. He looked at her with something like shock, though he was not completely discomposed. Artemis cursed so rarely that he had almost forgotten that gaining a filthy vocabulary was part of any normal child's rite of passage into adulthood. Of course, this girl wasn't what one would consider "normal," being far too much like Artemis, but Butler suspected she had enjoyed at least a bit more social interaction with her peers than the missing Irish boy.

Butler felt his heart pull again, the ache almost forgotten while he planned their escape from Taiwan. Artemis...gone...no, missing. He had to keep telling himself that. He'd get home and contact the People and see what they thought. Then he would find out when he could expect Artemis back. It was just a matter of waiting. Surely.

Eventually, Minerva managed to switch back into English, her face red from both a lack of air—which made her words somewhat divided, as she tried to regain her breath—and her quite apparent rage. "You will say no such thing! That is...will you stop doing that! You'll ruin it!"

"Hmmm?" Butler looked away from the ancient cinder-block wall they were passing, along which he had dragged each edge of the passport, leaving an almost invisible line as the border was worn away. He pressed harder when he came to the bottom spine corner, sanding away an eighth-inch wedge before complying with the girl's order. "Stop yelling, Minerva. A lot of the people here have studied English, and I'd rather we kept a low profile until we're back on the jet."

"What. Are you. _Doing?_" Minerva insisted, reaching up to snatch the passport away.

Butler allowed it, his work done. As the girl inspected the damage, he stepped from the sidewalk and into the gutter, barely avoiding a dam of trash that held back a murky brown lake. He raised a hand in the air, waving vigorously whenever he spotted a taxi. "Weathering your passport," he finally said. "It's four years old, by the issue date, and there's plenty of stamps inside, since the General is known to travel regularly. My passport is a bit worn, but you're a teenager. Or almost one. Yours should be abused."

"If you're my _father_," Minerva scowled at the switched paternity, "shouldn't you keep my passport, so it won't get like this?"

Butler narrowed his eyes at a cabbie, who met his gaze and nodded. "You are a stubborn child who thinks she is more mature than she actually is, and who won't give me a moments peace unless she has her way. That is why you carry your passport, and because you are completely immature, like all children who think they should be considered adults, you've ruined it."

**[END SELECTION]**

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**This story, in its entirety, can be found at Kitsune Heart's AO3 account, linked in her profile.**


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